Peace Canards The Foreign Secretary may or mayVot be right
in suggest- ing that the persistent allegations that he is conniving with M. Laval in the concoction of -a peace settlement that will betray AbysSinia and give Italy by-various expedients and subterfuges all she wants are mere • electioneering tactics, but he did the right' thing in dealing with them firmly in his speech at Chelsea on Wednesday. • What he said was that he and Mr. Eden were in perfect accord ; that he was going to Geneva at Mr. Eden's express request ; that he would certainly explore with M: Laval and other statesmen every possibility of settlement ; but that any settlement would have to be satisfactory to the League, to Italy and to Abyssinia. The last words are a little odd. As things stand no settlement can be. satisfactory to Italy on the one hand and the League and Abyssinia on he other. The League, through its Committee of Five, drew up what it regarded, and must be presumed to regard still, as a just plan of settlement, and Italy rejected - it out of hand. She can only be expected to regard it as satisfactory when she is convinced by the firm application of sanctions that she can hope for nothing better. For her to secure anything better would be a .plain defeat for the League, and with League States rallying with striking loyalty to the sanction policy, and the United States going to the utmost length compatible with the neutrality resolution of Congress to remove obstacles from the League's path, Geneva is entitled to assume with some confidence that it can make its verdict effective.
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